Today is the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. Happy Birthday Martin Luther King! Happy Birthday MLK!

Born Michael Luther King Jr. in 1929, he later changed his name to Martin.

Martin Luther King was an American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement. MLK’s main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States, and he has become a human rights icon: Martin Luther King is recognized as a martyr by two Christian churches.

Martin Luther King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., in 1954 and served as a member of the executive committee for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

In 1964, Martin Luther King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means.

Standing on a motel room balcony in Memphis, Tenn., where he planned to lead a march in support of striking garbage workers, Martin Luther King was assassinated on the evening of April 4, 1968.

Again, Happy Birthday Martin Luther King. Americans will celebrate Martin Luther King Day on January 18, 2010.